Hikes in Madison, New Hampshire

The Madison Conservation Commission and the heirs of the Malcolm P. McNair Conservation Easement joined together to create a scenic trail around 3/4 of the circumference of the Durgin Pond in 2010. Durgin Pond is located on East Madison Road. Donated to the town in 1976, the easement comprises 143 acres of forest land surrounding Durgin Pond. The trail was laid out to offer our community a unique opportunity to view a local scenic pond environment. There are a few steep slopes and stream crossings. Plans are underway to complete the trail along East Madison Road through applications to the state’s wetlands boards. Currently we urge hikers not to walk along the road as cars travel very fast.

The Louise S. Wold Conservation Land is a 71 acre woodland located on Allard Hill Road on the east side of Madison, off Tasker Road. It was donated in 2004 by Mrs. Wold. A nice trail is accessed above the road side field from a parking lot in the northeast corner. There are two impressive scenic views on the lot. The trail is a bit challenging to follow sometimes but look for the next marker! Have fun in the forest!

CONCORD, N.H. – Great news for New Hampshire hikers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts: the N.H. Fish and Game Department has created topographic maps of the entire state, available for free at http://www.wildnh.com/maps. The topo maps, in PDF format and sized to print on an 8.5″x11″ sheet of paper, include the latest available geographic information for the state at a scale of 1:31,680 (1 inch per half-mile). The maps include roads, municipal boundaries, water bodies, conservation properties, state and national forests and parks and more.

To find a map, go to http://www.wildnh.com/maps, click on Topo Maps, and click on a town name. A small map of the town will come up, with red lines and labels to show each available PDF topo map. Below the small map is a list of map names keyed to the labels shown. Click on the name of the map you want to download.

Each PDF map is less than 500 KB in size for fast downloading, and may be opened with Adobe Reader version 8 or newer. Each topo map represents a quarter of a U.S. Geological Survey “quad” map; 851 of these “quarter-quads” cover the 259 towns and unincorporated places of New Hampshire, and each is available as a topo (showing land contours) or with a photographic background.

The background scanned images of U.S. Geological Survey paper topographic maps are from the National Geographic Society provided through ArcGIS Online, a map service with land cover imagery for the world and detailed topographic maps for the United States at multiple scales. The photography (2009) is from the National Agriculture Imagery Program. The other data layers are from NH GRANIT, the statewide geographic information system clearinghouse.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department works to conserve, manage and protect the state’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, as well as providing the public with opportunities to use and appreciate these resources. Visit http://www.wildnh.com.

If you like orienteering, try this with your compass. This course follows the Madison Cascades trail so don’t follow a direction that leads you off the trail. This is for those who want to practice orienteering. It is not a bushwhacking trail for experts. Practice determining the distance of your “pace”. Train it to be 5 feet and your life will be easier. I used FEET for distances not steps or paces.

Good luck!

In front of the Madison Historical Society building there is a commemorative plaque. Look to the left and see a hiking trail sign and stand near it.

Parking in winter is always an issue. You are probably not allowed to park on East Shore Drive. You might be able to push your way onto LMR. The other end of LMR has more options for parking. The whole road is about 1.2 miles. As of the 2007 Town Meeting it was designated as a class V road to summer cottages. This allowed the designation to conform to the practice of not maintaining it in the winter. The road is shared by snowmachines, snowshoers, cross country skiers, and hikers. There are trails off the main road including a trail to Winter Road, a loop around Goodwin Bog, a path to Cook’s Pond, a power line, and several other paths. The actual Lead Mine is a deep hole in the ground with steep sides filled with water which can be dangerous.

Remember to leave your hiking plan with someone including your anticipated time of return.